The Wharf Shop in Sag Harbor still run by mother-daughter duo decades after opening

The Wharf Shop in Sag Harbor has been a staple in the community for more than 50 years with a mother-daughter duo running the show. Nada Berry, 92, and daughter Gwen Waddington, 65, have been working along side one another since Waddington was 16 years old. 

Waddington, who was 10 years old when the store opened, has followed in her mother's footsteps, now running the day-to-day operations, while Barry still comes in a few hours each day to take care of the shop’s finances.

Noting that her mom, who started the local Chamber of Commerce, is a very strong personality, she adds, “Over the years, I did follow her leadership and now I’m taking more of a leadership role in the business, as she has stepped away at 92.”

She adds: “Working with my mother is always interesting because we will share lots of business information, but forget to share the family news … Sometimes, I am the last person to find out someone is having a baby.”

These days, more than half the store is dedicated to a wide selection of toys geared toward all ages, from newborn to adult.

“We’ve continued to sell giftware, but we do specialize more in items that reflect the area and are either seaside-y or say Sag Harbor or the Hamptons,” she says. 

“We carry a full selection of games, dolls, wooden trains,” says Waddington, noting their inventory includes Melissa and Doug toys, Green Toys (made from recycled milk cartons) and Lego.

In giftware, there are melamine trays and dishes sporting a stylized map of the Hamptons, coasters, totes, mugs, tea towels, pillows and jigsaw puzzles of Sag Harbor made exclusively for the store.

“We have driftwood candleholders and potholders and cooking aprons with crabs and lobsters,” says Waddington. “We carry a lot of items with whales on them, like bath mats, because of Sag Harbor’s whaling history.”

There are also history books on Sag Harbor and children's books by local authors such as “Elliot,” by Ingrid Simunic and “Montauk Mike,” by Nina Ross.

The shop carries kids dress-up clothing, mostly with a nautical or Sag Harbor theme, for infants up to 18 months, including lightweight cotton muslin outfits, sweatshirts and Magnetic Me onesies featuring magnetic closures.

You’ll also find Cat’s Meow Village collectibles, tiny replicas of notable local buildings, like the nearby Bay Street Theater and American Hotel. Cat’s Meow Village is an Ohio-based company that designs and builds miniature replicas of iconic buildings. The Wharf Shop works with the company to build Sag Harbor buildings exclusively for the shop, typically introducing one new design each year.

“People like to travel and get a little building from where they’ve been or the people in the local area like to collect their little village,” Waddington says. “We try to come up with a new one every year.” 

The Wharf Shop is at 69A Main St., in Sag Harbor. The shop is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with extended hours in summer; 631-725-0420, wharfshop.com.